


Explosion

by ChillyHollow



Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22572928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChillyHollow/pseuds/ChillyHollow
Summary: Robin and Matthew take a train ride that changes their lives
Relationships: Matthew Cunliffe/Robin Ellacott, Robin Ellacott/Cormoran Strike
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	Explosion

It was a sunny, clear Sunday morning when Robin and Matthew took the train ride that would change their lives.They were flat hunting. Matthew wanted a larger flat—exactly why they needed a three bedroom flat was beyond Robin since they weren’t even married yet—in a better part of town, closer to his job.But as always she was floating along in Matthew’s wake.It didn’t really matter all that much where they lived to her, after all.Her jobs were temporary ones as she tried to find a permanent position that paid what Matthew wanted, so she was sent all over London.She was learning the train schedules and stops by heart now.Maybe she should look for a job with public transport….

The train stopped and they got out at Kensington Olympic Station.The flat Matthew wanted to see was only a few blocks away.She noted the next train wasn’t scheduled until ninety minutes from now but that just gave them plenty of time to look at the flat and the area.It was pretty posh, with restricted parking and lots of upscale restaurants and shops.She suspected the flat would be out of their price range but it would make Matthew happy to look at it.

An hour later they were back at the train station, sipping their skinny lattes with soy milk as they waited.The flat had been both expensive and run down.The landlord was promising a new coat of paint but Robin didn’t think it would do anything for the old appliances, a ceiling that she suspected leaked, and a rent astronomical for what you got.They’d thanked the leasing agent and wandered down the street, looking for an open coffee place.Now they were seated on a bench, waiting for the train to take them on to the next flat to be inspected.They weren’t alone.Two men were talking quietly on the platform, one tall and broad, one short and muscular.Robin couldn’t see their faces but their postures were easy and companionable.As she watched, the shorter man clapped the taller on the shoulder and walked away, off the platform toward the brick apartment buildings that faced the station. 

Their train came.Robin and Matthew plus the tall man boarded the train and away they went.The train compartments were small so Robin easily saw his bearded face this time.He looked stern but tired.His eyes were closed as he rested his head on the side of the carriage, his long legs stuck out in front of him.Robin drank her coffee.She was glad she’d bought bottled waters at the coffee shop.It was going to be a warm day.Matthew was looking over the literature about the next flat, frowning, as the train pulled into Kensington High Street station.The doors opened but no one got on and the tall man continued to sleep.The doors closed and the train started up again, headed down into the bowels of the earth.

Suddenly there was a lurch.The train stopped very suddenly and Robin grabbed for the pole next to her seat to stay upright.Matthew frowned and stood up, trying to peer out the door to see what was going on.The engineer came on the intercom, telling them there was an obstruction on the line and to stay seated.The tall man’s eyes were open and he was frowning. 

Then there was a giant BOOM, the train doors opened and the lights went out.Robin blinked in the dust then scrabbled for her phone in her bag.She managed to find it in the dark and turn on the flashlight function.The light enabled her to see Matthew, his own phone lighting his way, going out the door to the left onto the platform without a backwards glance.She stood, then looked to her right towards the tall man, checking to see if he was ok.He stood up awkwardly and stepped toward her.“Are you all right?” he asked her in a low, somewhat rough voice. 

“Yes,” Robin answered.We should get out of here.I think we can follow the end of the platform toward the exit.”She took the man’s hand.“Follow me.”

“Wait a minute,” he told her.She had the impression he was counting seconds off in his head.“Sometimes terrorists set off a second bomb, timed to catch any fleeing people.We need to wait a little longer.” 

“That was a bomb?”Robin asked, frightened.“How do you know?”

“I’m ex-military.I’ve been bombed before,” was his reply.Robin stared at him, and listened hard.She heard nothing, not even Matthew’s fleeing footsteps on the tiles of the station.And then there was a second, nearer and much louder explosion.It lifted Robin off her feet and time slowed down to less than a crawl.The stranger grabbed Robin and hugged her to himself so that they fell with her on top of him, his body cushioning her fall.Then he rolled them over as he hit the carriage floor to shield her body with his large one.Robin couldn’t hear anything and dust was everywhere.She and her rescuer were both coughing as they helped each other stand up.She scrambled in the dark but found her phone, still miraculously lit.It showed the tunnel ceiling had come down around them, blocking the train exit to her left.The one on the right was already blocked by the tunnel wall.The stranger was looking around.He took her phone from her and shone it all around them.They were in a protected cocoon, but one from which they couldn’t escape.He gave the phone back to her, and pulled out his own.With the light from hers he checked the signal and rapidly sent a series of text messages.Then he turned his phone off and put it back in his jacket’s zip pocket. 

Robin searched around and found her tote bag as the dust settled.Her ears were ringing.She discovered a wet wipe in the inner pocket.Tearing it open, she gently wiped the dust from the tall man’s face.Then she used the other side to clean her own face.He smiled at her.“Thanks,” his mouth said.Her ears were still ringing.

She checked her own signal, then sent a text to her parents telling them as briefly as possible what had happened but that she was ok, just stuck for now.She didn’t mention Matthew or attempt to text him.It had not escaped her notice that a total stranger had shown more concern for her than her fiancé had.She sat down on the bench and turned off her phone to save battery.The stranger sat next to her.He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his broad chest.Despite the heat outside it was cool in the damaged tunnel and she shivered a little.The stranger pulled her closer and they sat together, huddled in their life raft of a train compartment, waiting. 

Robin thought she might have dozed a bit in the dark.The stranger’s bulk was comforting.She turned her head and listened.Her hearing had returned and now she could hear a dripping somewhere down in the depths of the dark tunnel their train was trapped in.The stranger stirred a bit, listening.“Are you ok?” he asked again.

She nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her in the dark. “I’m ok.Just a bit cold and scared.I have water in my tote bag.Want some?”

“Just a sip,” he answered. “We don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here.”Robin found the water bottles and shared one with her companion.“I’m Robin.Robin Ellacott.What’s your name?”

“Cormoran Strike,” he answered.“Nice to meet you, Robin.Good of you to bring water to the party.” 

Robin smiled.“Next time I’ll bring cookies, too.”

“I have a Twix in my pocket,” her companion said.“I don’t know how mashed it will be but…”he fished out the chocolate treat.“Not too bad.”He unwrapped it and gave Robin half.

“How long do you think we’ve been stuck here, Cormoran?”

“I’m guessing half an hour.It’ll probably take Emergency Services a good two or three hours to get us out, and that’s if this was the only station bombed.” 

“What do you think happened to the engineer?” 

“I don’t know.He might have fled.He would have had time to get out before the second explosion, assuming he didn’t set it off himself.”

“A train engineer would do that?!“ Robin asked, horrified.

“It’s been known,” was his sober assessment.He pulled out his phone and checked text messages.There was one.It read “Coming 4u Gooner.”He put the phone away again.“Scotland Yard.Help is on the way.”

Robin took another little sip of water, thinking.It was a bit odd that her companion had heard from someone at Scotland Yard that rescue was being organized.“Are you a policeman?”

“Used to be a military policeman.I’m a private detective now.” 

“I always wanted to solve crimes from the time I was a little girl,” she confessed.“But my brothers made fun of me and my family is quite protective, so….”Robin thought about all the things she’d not done in order to please Matthew and her family, and vowed that would come to an end once she got out of this awful place. 

“It can be dangerous, what I do,” said Cormoran.“Policework of various kinds brings you in contact with very bad people at times.They were right to be worried.”

“Does your family worry about you?” she wanted to know.

“My mother is dead,” was his sober answer.“My father and I don’t have much of a relationship.My half sister is a great worrier, more than all the rest of them put together.However my aunt and uncle who mostly raised me understand the risks better.My uncle was a Red Cap before me.”

“Red Cap?” Robin asked.“Special Investigative Branch.We are called Red Caps because of our red berets,”he explained.

“Oh.”Robin shivered again.Cormoran put his arm around her shoulders again.She nestled next to him, her head on his shoulder, absorbing his body heat and trying to share her own.He must be cold, too.“Matthew left me behind,” she blurted out.

“Is that the guy who was on the train with us?”Cormoran asked as he pulled her a little closer.

“Yes. We are engaged.Or were.If he made it off the train ok, I’m dumping him,” she said vehemently. 

“Extreme situations take different people differently,” he replied.

“You don’t know me but you tried to protect me when the second bomb went off!” Robin said with emphasis.

“I’m trained, Robin,” he said quietly.

“It’s common decency to help other people,” Robin insisted.“Matt’s self-absorbed.I’m noticing it more and more now that we are in London.” 

“Well, perhaps he just panicked.” Cormoran conceded.“So you are single now?”

“Yes,” said Robin emphatically.“Why?”

“Because I have a strong urge to kiss you but I avoid doing that if someone’s already taken.”

“I’m available,” Robin said, remembering suddenly how his body felt on top of hers.Warmth spread from her core to the tips of her fingers. She traced the line of his jaw through his silky beard with one fingertip.“I think I’d like to be kissed.”

So he did. He was a terrific kisser.She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.He kissed the top of her head and hugged her close.They sat like this a long time, Robin feeling safe in his arms.“Is it odd to know what you kiss like but not even know your eye color?” Robin asked.

“Maybe, but I don’t really care.Somehow we went right past that getting-to-know-you stuff.I suppose bombings take away the social niceties and get people down to basics.But I still have some manners.Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” Cormoran asked. He fumbled in his jacket and brought out his wallet.He extracted what she thought was a business card, pressing it into her hand.“My cell phone number is on my card.Call me once you are free. It’s going to be a zoo with the media once we get out of here.”Robin carefully secreted the card in her wallet, then got the water bottles back out of her tote bag. They both drank, toasting each other.

“I don’t know where I’ll be,” she confessed. “I only have a temp job in London.Once I dump Matthew I’ll need to find another place to live or I’ll have to go back to Yorkshire to my parents’ house. 

“You can stay with my friends Nick and Ilsa.They have a spare bedroom and they’ll like having company.Or you can stay at my flat.My office is in the same building so I can sleep on the sofa there.” 

“One step at a time,” said Robin.“I just got out of a relationship, you know.I’m going back to our flat and have it out with Matthew, then pack.After that I’ll call you.We’ll have dinner.But for now, would you kiss me again?” 

He did.It was just as good as the first time, maybe even better as Robin had learned to lean in against him.She kissed him right back, using one hand to pull his head towards hers while she used the other to explore his deep chest and strong back muscles.His hands were busy stroking her breasts and pulling her body as close to his as possible.The dark enveloped them.Cormoran began to unbutton her blouse as she unbuckled his belt.She was panting, weak with desire, kissing every part of him she could reach when they heard a bang somewhere down the tunnel.Cormoran swore.Robin listened. “They are coming.”

Cormoran told her they’d better do up their clothing.She obeyed him, feeling like swearing herself.At least the bomb would give them an excuse for looking like they’d just rolled out of bed when they were found.Shirt buttoned and tucked in, Robin stood and peered down the platform as far as she could see.Men in hard hats were climbing over the rubble.Cormoran pressed up behind her, his hands on her waist.He gave her neck a quick kiss, then stepped away.Their rescuers ran to the doors and waved at them, then after a quick conference, one of them fetched a pry bar.Cormoran took her hand and pulled her as far from the door as possible in case something broke and flew away.The rescuers got the door open and helped Robin, then Cormoran climb out.Their rescuers put hard hats put on their heads while Cormoran told them that the only other person on the train they knew about was the engineer.One of the men disappeared down the tunnel to check.He came back, shaking his head.“No one there.”

They were hurried down the platform, over the rubble, and up the two sets of stairs to the fresh air.Robin blinked as the sunshine and an explosion of small lights hit her eyes.Behind her Cormoran raised his arm to shield his eyes.She turned her head away from the lights and looked back at him.He had hazel eyes. 

Emergency services people hurried them toward an ambulance and they were bombarded with questions.The media were shouting questions over the heads of the rescue squad and then there was a stir in the crowd, with it parting for someone.A good-looking man in a leather jacket was pushing his way forward, shouting, “Scotland Yard.Make way!”

The stranger looked them over.“Gooner.You ok?"

Cormoran nodded. “I’m fine, just bruised and dirty.This is Robin.She was stuck with me.Can you get us away from here?” 

“We aren’t a taxi service, you know,” the slender man grumbled, but he led them towards a car marked Police, and shoved them inside, then he climbed into the front seat.They were driven away, the media following.The slender man turned and looked at Robin.“I’m Eric Wardle, Major Crimes, Scotland Yard.We need to interview you, then I’ll arrange for you to sneak out of the building.”Robin thanked him, then he turned back to look out the windows.Cormoran took her hand and squeezed it.They sat in the back, unspeaking, heads facing front but holding on to each other’s hand for dear life. 

Wardle took them through the police parking garage to avoid the press.They were separated and interviewed in different interview rooms.Robin went over everything that happened with a dour man from Special Investigations Branch in excruciating detail.But there wasn’t much to tell if you ignored the connection she and Cormoran had built.Finally they told her she could go.She saw Cormoran standing in the hall with Wardle.They were talking seriously together.Matthew was there as well, waving his arms to catch her eye. She handed him his engagement ring as she passed him, and said,“Our engagement was over the second you left me behind in that place,” and kept going to where Wardle and Strike were standing.Leaving Matthew standing in her wake, open-mouthed, her engagement ring in his open palm, she asked Wardle if they could leave.

Wardle took them down a maze of hallways and back to the police parking garage where Robin saw an old fashioned black cab lingering.Cormoran opened the rear door for her, thanked Wardle, and climbed in after her. “Where are we going?” she asked.

"This is Mr. Herbert,” he said, nodding to the elderly cabbie.“He’s taking us to his son’s house.We are going to stay with Nick and Ilsa for a while until the publicity dies down.” Robin looked at him, thinking about how a train ride had changed her life and how a taxi ride was going to change it further.She took his hand.Cormoran smiled at her, and brought her fingers to his lips.The taxi exited the garage and turned right.Robin smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I've never been to London and have no idea how the underground system works so this is based on the subway systems in Manhattan and D.C. Sorry if I messed it up totally.


End file.
